On October 20, foreign ministers from India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States came together to form what they called an “international forum for economic cooperation.”
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid joined the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the UAE Foreign Minister, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a video conference. The virtual meeting ended with the decision to launch an international forum for economic cooperation to harness the “unique array of capabilities, knowledge and experience” of the four nations.
Blinken reiterated President Joe Biden’s administration’s support for the Abraham Accords [the pacts Israel inked with Bahrain and the UAE in September 2020] and normalization agreements, and discussed future opportunities for collaboration in the region and globally.
Ned Price, the spokesperson of the U.S. State Department said that the four sides had discussed “expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia, including through trade, combating climate change, energy cooperation, and increasing maritime security.”
The four countries plan to hold an in-person meeting of the ministers in the coming months at the Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
